Need some help with booking train tickets from Basel to Lucerne. I have had no luck with all train stations. Every message I receive is they are not available. I am starting to worry. If trains aren't available, is there any other way to travel to Lucerne from Basel, Help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Lisa
How far in advance are you looking?
What website are you using?
I recommend you use this site if you aren't:
https://www.sbb.ch/en
What town on Lake Como do you want the train to go to from Luzern?
Swiss trains don't need to be "booked". They run continuously. There are 2 direct rains every hour between Basel SBB and Luzern, and 4 trains with connections. You can't actually buy tickets until 60 days in advance, but a ticket is good on any train that day.
Jazz+Travels gave you the website to view the schedule.
Thank you for your quick response! My trip to Basel is on July 9th, so it's not 60 days yet. I have checked on SBB. I will retry after May 9th.
As for Lake Como, we will be staying in Menaggio. Any recommendations? Should I use SBB as well?
Thanks, Lisa
You can use SBB to get from Luzern to Lugano or Como, from where you can get a bus to Menaggio.
Trains in Switzerland are mass transit. The easiest way to buy train tickets for people unfamiliar with the system is just at the ticket office at the station. Do not overthink this.
People here use trains for their going about their daily business. Nobody here buys tickets for local transport months in advance. It is like worrying about tickets for the New York Subway months before your travel date...
If they want to take the train to Como San Giovanni and bus (or ferry) to Menaggio from there, the direct train is a cross-border EC train, and there are discounts for advance purchase on SBB. For example, a ticket for travel on July7, if bought today, is 34 CHF on the Sparangebot offer, instead of the normal 68 CHF regular fare. Note that these Special Offer tickets are non-refundable and good only on the one train purchased.
And if they want to get off the train in Lugano, still in Switzerland, and take the bus from there, I see Sparbillet tickets for 42 CHF for June 30 and July 2. Is this the ticket that is released 60 days in advance in limited numbers? I thought that was a SuperSaver ticket.
Sparbillet is just German for Saver Ticket, so yes, that is the same.
Booking a bit in advance does indeed give you the opportunity to save some money, but you do not need to be exactly 60 days in advance for that. I have bought saver tickets only hours before travel on occasion.
Thank you all for your responses! Now I feel more in the know.
Lisa😊
We took a taxi from the cruise dock in Basel to the SBB train station and bought tickets from the ticket machine. Since we didnt know exactly when we would get to the rail station, we didnt bother booking in advance, and just took the next available train of which there are many all day. It's not like airlines where you must book months in advance to get a seat.
